The Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has finally delivered the long awaited Zimbabwe National Frequency Allocation Plan (ZNFAP) which will be adopted by the regulator in allocating radio frequencies to telecom operators.
After calling for public’s input and making various deliberations with other industrial players since 2013, POTRAZ has finally released the final document yesterday in Mutare during a convergence meeting by various stakeholders.
Speaking at the official launch of the ZNFAP in Mutare yesterday, Minister of ICT, Hon. Supa Mandiwanzira said “Spectrum is not only utilized in telecommunications and broadcasting. It is applied in transportation, healthcare, education and scientific research.
The ZNFAP is a complete guideline referral document which states how radio spectrum is used in Zimbabwe. The radio spectrum in play here is radio frequency spectrum, specifically the usable part of the radio spectrum which falls within 8.3kHz-3000GHz range.
Radio spectrum is a finite resource which is used for various radio-communication services which include cellular telephone operations and broadcast television stations.
With the advent of Internet of Things (IoT,) Augmented Reality and various other technologies, the demand for spectrum is increasing by the day.
As the industrial regulator in Postal and Telecommunication Technologies, POTRAZ is the custodian of the Zimbabwe National Frequency Allocation and will continue with its previous responsibilities of managing the radio frequency space in Zimbabwe.
POTRAZ’s also mandate includes the administration of the use of Spectrum by all services, applications and systems in Zimbabwe. The ZNFAP divides the spectrum range (8.3KHz – 3000GHz) into a number of frequency bands and specifies the general purposes for which, and conditions under which, the bands may be used in Zimbabwe.
In addition to its direct use in these sectors, radio systems and applications have become an integral part of a wide range of other socio-economic activities such as security, defence, social services, smart grid, earth exploration, navigation systems, smart agriculture and the connected home environment.
